


Of flowers and lying agents

by Thrilmalia



Category: Black Panther (2018), Captain America (Movies), Doctor Strange (2016), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Everett is too proud to ask dickhead Stephen to a date so he makes one up, First Date, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Stephen isn't stupid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-24
Updated: 2018-02-24
Packaged: 2019-03-23 04:12:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13779423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thrilmalia/pseuds/Thrilmalia
Summary: Doctor Stephen Strange has a business meeting with two men to consult SHIELD about chances to deal with new superheroes. At least one of those two men, Agent Everett Ross, says so. But the third party doesn't seem to show up. Or exist...





	Of flowers and lying agents

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Luna_sharp618](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luna_sharp618/gifts).



> Thank you for not only inspiring this but also encouraging me to write this out. This wouldn't exist without you.
> 
> I hope you enjoy the small fluff fic.  
> If there is anything you want to tell or ask me, [this](https://thrilmalia.tumblr.com/) is my tumblr. Feel free to send request, too.

It was a Wednesday morning when Agent Everett Ross entered the break room and looked around the room to see who was there. There was nothing unusual about it, it wasn't even unusual that most conversations stopped or quieted, Mister Ross wasn't known to be a friendly boss, after all, and no one wanted to ruin their working life by saying the wrong thing. But Ross wasn't interested in conversations, after spotting the man of his interest he strode towards him and stood in front of Doctor Stephen Strange, looking down since the man was sitting and just grinning pleased while an agent laughed about something he'd said. Probably some smartass comment like he always made, those that made Everett want to either punch or kiss him, although he always took too long to decide so he never did either.

"Ah, Doctor Strange, here you are," the agent said and looked down at a file in his hand, then back at the doctor, "You and I have an appointment tomorrow evening. We'll meet Sal Benson, a diplomacy coach, to discuss a few things and possibilities for proper coaching for new recruits inexperienced in the art of diplomacy. My secretary will give you the address in a few minutes, we meet there at 7. Be on time, doctor, punctuality is polite. And dress nicely, it's important."

"Your wish is my command, sir," Strange answered with a cheeky smirk, which Everett saw as a sign that he didn't take this seriously. Like he didn't take so much serious, God, all those fresh 'superheroes' were so arrogant, and most of all Stephen Strange.

"It's not my wish, doctor, it's our command. You may travel through dimensions, but in this dimension there's a hierarchy, and you, like me, have to do what our superiors say," Everett said coldly and glanced at his file again, then gave a nod as the conversation was done for him, "I'll see you tomorrow, Doctor Strange."  
The agent turned around and left the room, already dialling a number and starting to talk over his headpiece, like the busy bee he was and everyone saw him as. Just that no one would have dared to call him 'bee', except for maybe one man.

\---

The next day, when Stephen's cab rolled up to the given address, a posh restaurant with a nice ambiance, though unfitting for hard business like he was used to from Agent Ross, the agent was already standing in front of the door and waiting. There was no sign of a Sal Benson, but maybe he was inside or would come soon. After all, Stephen was on time like Ross had asked, but he couldn't guarantee that the third party would show up punctually. Though what happened next was rather unusual. Not that Stephen paid and got out of the cab and walked towards the agent, that was normal, but that Everett smiled when he saw him,  _because_  he saw him, since he hadn't smiled before.

"Good evening, Doctor Strange," Everett said smiling and offered his hand which Stephen shook with a smile as well, though the look in his eyes was more confused than Everett's.

"Am I dreaming, agent? You're smiling," Stephen said, his smile as charming as ever, "And it looks lovely." Everett chuckled, shaking his head and trying to look annoyed at the man's flirting.

"Diplomacy, doctor, and politeness, that's all," he said, although neither would have believed him if he'd really said that his smile wasn't honest. It was weird to see him so relaxed and friendly, since Stephen only knew him as the annoyed and snarky agent that barked orders at his inferiors and got angry when something wasn't done on time, not to mention that their conversations to date had mostly been the two of them using sarcasm and sass to annoy each other.

They chatted for a while, whereby Everett glanced at his watch every now and then and looked along the street like he was waiting for the diplomacy coach to come. Stephen didn't mind, he seized the moments when the agent looked away to subtly check out how well his hair was done and how good he looked in the dark suit, and how well the blue shirt complimented the man's eyes. After half an hour, Everett sighed and looked up at Stephen with a, surprisingly, not at all resigned smile.

"I suppose Mister Benson is coming too late," he said and looked to the entrance of the restaurant, "I don't think he would be too bothered if we already entered and waited there for him. Are you coming, doctor?" He went to the restaurant first with Stephen following him and told the lady at the reception that he had a reservation on the name 'Ross', whereupon she led them to a table and handed them the menus.

"You can take whatever you want, the meal is on me," Everett offered as he glanced at Stephen over his menu, before quickly adding: "Well, on SHIELD, obviously. It's a business meeting, after all. Even though Mister Benson doesn't seem to bother showing up. Maybe he's just late, traffic is hell at this time." He shrugged and looked at Stephen, who was smiling in understanding.

"It's alright, Evere- excuse me, agent Ross," the doctor said and smiled widely, "I'm well entertained with only your company, Mister Benson doesn't have to show up at all."

The agent laughed and shook his head, something flashing across his face that Stephen couldn't quite recognize. Was it a hint of guilt? Success? Or was it rather a knowing smirk? He wasn't sure about that, but he could care more about that, important was that Everett looked good with it, even if it lasted only the fraction of a second.

"Please, doctor, this is still business, we can't just hope that someone doesn't show up to keep it personal," Everett said with a calm smile, though Stephen, and everyone who knew the agent for a bit more than a few minutes, had learned that there could be a lot behind that smile. Joy, anger, nothing. "Oh, and please, call me Everett," he added, and made clear what was behind the polite smile which was slowly melting into honest amusement.

"Stephen," the doctor offered in return and leaned back with a thoughtful smile as he hummed, “Everett. What an extraordinary name, for an extraordinary man.”

“Extraordinary?” Everett asked before smiling widely at Stephen, “Whatever it is you think I am or my name is, my name is not as strange as yours. I'm sorry, I'm sure you already heard this a thousand times.”

And it was true, Stephen had heard a lot of puns based on his name, but the way Everett said it and sheepishly apologised right after was absolutely adorable, and Stephen laughed. Though before he could answer, a waiter came to take their orders and they ordered wine and food for themselves without thinking about Sal Benson, then went back to chatting and laughing. And just a little bit of flirting, or maybe a bit more.

\---

"This is not really a business meeting, is it?" Stephen asked after a while and looked around, though the amusement in his voice and his smile made it easy to guess that he didn't mind. It had been an hour and a half with them eating and talking about all the world and his brother, and neither had mentioned anything concerning work at all. 

"No, it's really not," Everett answered with a chuckle, trying to hide his amusement behind the wine glass in his hand as he took a sip of his drink. "I would never drink wine at a business dinner, not to mention that I hate business dinners."

"That explains why, when I asked around, no one knew who that diplomat Sal Benson was, and when I researched him, he was the retired owner of a flower shop."

"Maybe that's only what the government wants you to think."

"You tell me, Mister CI-Agent," Stephen said and leaned forward with a look in his eyes that was hard to describe, but made Everett feel all warm from his cheeks to his abdomen, "You owe me an explanation, too."

Everett chuckled and leaned forward as well, "I owe you nothing, Doctor. Except for maybe a ride home, or a coffee at my place." Stephen leaned back and, judging by his smile, he didn't seem to mind either idea. After they looked at each other for a moment, Stephen smiled and started talking again.

"You should've told me this was going to be a date, I would've brought flowers," he said, whereupon Everett chuckled and shook his head.

"Please, Stephen, I don't need flowers," the agent said, although the sheepish look on his face told a different story, making it obvious that he would appreciate the gesture, at the least. 

"Fine, then I should've put on my nice underwear if I was going on a date," Stephen countered, but Everett just shrugged with an almost nonchalant look on his face.

"What's the point if they don't stay on for long anyway?"

"Fair point."

Both laughed and continued sipping their wine while they talked. It was amazing, out of work Everett was quite relaxed and a lovely person. Stephen tried hard to focus on what the man was saying, but caught himself thinking about how wonderful his laugh was or how well he knew to handle words. He was so intelligent and so funny and so  _nice_ , it was wonderful. Everett wasn't any better, he couldn't stop staring at the handsome face of the sorcerer, trying hard not to stare too long at the lips with the perfect Cupid's bow that were framed so well by the precisely groomed beard. Or the bright eyes with the intelligent and curious look. And Stephen Strange, the arrogant and egocentric neurosurgeon, was actually a very humble and kind person, Everett had to realize. Oh, how wrong had he been the first time they met.

 ---

After a while, they decided to leave the restaurant and head home. So Everett paid, refusing to let Stephen even see the bill, they put on their coats and left the restaurant. Outside, they stood and turned towards each other, knowing this would be a goodbye, but not really wanting to leave already.

"Do you need a cab, doctor?" Everett asked and looked up at the taller man, and Stephen wasn't sure if the look in his eyes was indeed so soft or just looked so gentle in the lightning. Maybe it was both, or he just saw what he wanted to see. Or maybe not.

"No, thank you, I have this practical little thing here," Stephen said with a soft chuckle and got his sling ring out of his pocket, showing it to Everett, "It's magic. You'll see. Do you need one? A cab, I mean." Everett shook his head, smiling, and nodded to his right, "I can walk, it's not so far. You can accompany me, if you'd like. Of course, you don-"

"I'd love to, actually," Stephen said, interrupting him, and turned with Everett to walk in that direction, "I should make sure you get home safely, after all."

Everett laughed and got his gun out of his coat, grinning up at Stephen. "You don't need to worry about my safety, Stephen. But thank you, I appreciate the gesture."

"You brought your gun to a date? How romantic," Stephen said and laughed, Everett joining in with a chuckle, "And I thought you were excited to see me, but it was just a gun in your coat the whole time."

"Maybe it was both," Everett said with a smirk and shrugged, then tugged on Stephen's sleeve so he turned around the corner and didn't continue walking straight. And although he enjoyed the man's closeness, he let go, but he didn't need to hold on for Stephen to stay close, he enjoyed it just as much.

\---

As they walked, they passed Everett's flat, though it was by no means an accident, Stephen simply didn't knew, and the conversation was too interesting to interrupt now for such bagatelles as sleep, so Everett just led the man further along the streets, just walking. At some point he did decide to return and they walked back, falling into silence, though it was not an uncomfortable one at all. They simply enjoyed each other's company in silence, hands brushing every now and then and eyes meeting, but neither did anything except for smile and continue to walk. Finally, they stopped in front of Everett's door, and Stephen looked around.

"We've been here already," he said and his gaze rested on the agent again, "I remember those buildings. Photographic memory. But you didn't say anything."

"You were talking, it would've been rude to interrupt you," Everett said, though now he had to hope that Stephen wouldn't be mad, which he wasn't. He smiled and nodded, agreeing.

"So.. I, I'd ask you to come up for a coffee but-"

"Tomorrow's work, I know. It's alright," Stephen said and stepped a bit closer, though it was obvious that he, too, was a bit nervous. "I suppose this is good night, then. Thank you for the evening, it was wonderful. Next time is on me, no discussion. How does Italian sound?"

"It sounds great. Thank you, Stephen," Everett said with a grateful smile, his voice barely above a whisper, and licked his lips, then leaned forward a bit, "I enjoyed this evening very much."

Stephen wasn't sure what to answer, except that he had, too, but he didn't need to. They had already locked eyes and Everett was carefully reaching up to cup the nape of the taller man's neck with his hand as he gently pulled him down, slowly pushing himself up. Stephen helped by leaning down and hesitantly placed his hands on Everett's waist, then not so shyly pressed his lips to the smaller man's. Both of them were nervous, but the nervousness melted as soon as they closed eyes and their lips touched, meeting in a slow and gentle kiss. Everett's second hand, the one that wasn't resting on Stephen's neck, curled around the coat's collar and he subconsciously drew circles on the wool with his thumb, holding the man close. For the sorcerer however, this wasn't quite enough, and he slipped his arms around the agent's back to pull him even closer against himself, and although he almost stumbled, he gladly followed.

  
Neither was sure how long the kiss lasted, they only knew that it was too short for both their opinions when they had to pull away to breathe. They both felt and seemed like glowing in the shine of the streetlamp, their smiles gentle and happy and their eyes bright and full of adoration for each other. But they both seemed to silently agree that this was enough for tonight, and they didn't lean in again.

"Good night, Stephen," Everett whispered and only slowly let his hands slide down from Stephen's neck and collar over his chest until he let go and took a step back, the doctor's hands slipping off his sides.

"Good night, Everett," Stephen answered and was just as unwilling to let go, but he did and smiled fondly at Everett, watching him go inside. Before the door closed, they smiled and lightly waved at each other, then Everett closed the door and left Stephen's sight.

\---

The next morning, Everett came to work with a smile on his face, and greeted his secretary, but she only smiled knowingly.

"Good morning, Mister Ross," she said and handed him his things, "Here is your morning coffee, the reports of last night, and today's agenda. You have a meeting at 11, and your paperwork is already at your desk."

"Thank you, Miss Williams," Everett said and smiled gratefully, but the woman only raised an eyebrow and nodded. It was unusual for him to be this grateful, but she was sure she knew who to thank for Everett's good mood.

"Oh, and a secret admirer left a present in your office at some point this morning. They must have been really discreet, I didn't see anyone entering or leaving, and when I arrived here nothing was there, but when I brought a few papers to your office minutes ago, it was," she said with a smirk and nodded at the door, "So, who is it?"

Everett's eyes widened a bit and he hurried to his door to open it and see what was there. However, he wasn't prepared for the huge bouquet of colourful flowers on his desk that he wasn't completely sure about whether they were from this dimension or not.

"I.. I don't know," he mumbled quietly, although he was very sure that he knew who those flowers were from. "Uh, thank you, Miss Williams, I'll talk to you later. Dismissed."

She left with a knowing smile and closed the door after herself, giving Everett some privacy as he stepped closer to the flowers and leaned in to smell. These were definitely not normal flowers, the colours were too vibrant and the scents too strong, and it was lovely. Not to mention the mental image of Stephen Strange wandering through only God knows what alien worlds to pick flowers for Everett. After a few moments, when the agent was done admiring the bouquet for now, he noticed the note that was attached to them, smiling as he read the handwriting, and started looking forward to see the sorcerer again.

 

_Angela’s, 8PM. Put on your nice underwear, it’s a date. x_

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked the story, kudos and comments are always welcome and will make me really happy.
> 
> I'm actually thinking of making a series out of this, or maybe some day write a longer piece, so I'll see when I get to it. Thank you for reading!


End file.
